50 year old mirror landed

A 21LB carp may not sound big by today’s standard, but Ian Lewis proved that weight can be immaterial when he landed this ancient mirror believed to be 50-years-old.

The Berkshire-based Gardner Tackle consultant had fished the private estate lake which the fish resided in over a decade ago but despite catching most of its residents, failed to land ‘the daddy of the pond.’

And so, while waiting for his new syndicate water to open in August, Ian decided to return to the venue to try and settle the score.

“On arrival, I had a quick lap of the lake and decided on a slightly overgrown area behind an island.,” he said. “The morning turned into a real red letter session with no less than 13 bites. Despite the frantic action, the old boy still managed to elude me.”

His next trip produced three fish and he then returned a few days later following an early finish at work.

“No more than 20 minutes after casting out, one of my rods fished to a rhododendron lined margin was away. After the first roll I knew exactly what I was attached to and I breathed a sigh of relief when I led the fish over the cord – my dream had come true. For the record he went 21lb 4oz, but the weight was irrelevant as he’s an extremely old carp. This, and the fact that he had eluded me all those years ago made the capture far more desirable.”

Ian’s successful tactics consisted of a Mistral Purple Plum pop-up on a hinged-stiff rig tied with a size 6 Gardner Covert Chod hook, 20lb Wire Trap and a 15lb Sink Skin boom section.